1.08.2006

Den of Sickness

It wasn't supposed to be like this. The new year was not supposed to start off with everyone in my family sick as DOGS.

See, I was really excited to start brand new at New Years. Even though I'm not one to make any concrete resolutions, I do like the concept of shedding off the old and brandishing the new. I love transition and change (although my mother will beg to differ), and 2006 was going to be the year that I change the way that I eat, the way that I work, the way that I handle taking on side projects, as well as take on new possibilities. I was all ready to start with a bang.

But then both Ava and Ezra started getting the Runny Nose. And then it was the Cough. The Cough stayed longer than it should and pretty much wiped the two of them out when we were gone to visit the in-laws. (Can I just say that the trip back home was pretty much the WORST NIGHT EVER?)

Right when we thought we were pretty much out of the thicket with the kids, Friday night Ezra began to throw up. Not just throw up, but Throw Up. It was horrendous. All night and pretty much throughout the next day. There's nothing like spending Saturday night at the doctor's office with the entire family. Fun! I do not wish this upon you. Unless you are my enemy.

So Sunday pretty much became "Watch Ezra All Day" Day to check on his progress. Once he took a nice long nap in the early evening, he woke up being silly with me and I suspected that we were in the clear. BUT THEN -- Andrea started to feel woozy and made a mad dash to the bathroom. Ava followed suit 20 minutes later. Yes, one was fine, but now two are ill. I can never win. It's been a crazy, crazy day for me. Both my girls are sick as dogs and it hurts me to no end to see them this way. Especially Andrea, who always maintains some sort of composure with herself, even with the bathroom door shut and yacking sounds coming from the other side. She's even been known to let the faucet run while she did her sick business so as not to gross me out.

And I have to say that none of this grosses me out, to be honest with you. Even with little Ezra throwing up all over my coat and jeans, and with Ava getting sick all over the place, the whole vomit thing doesn't faze me. Once your kids (and spouse) are green, something switches on inside you and you become Super Dad, or something. It's really odd. I wish I could explain it. Puke, poop and pee might be the grossest things coming from other kids, but not when they come from my own. I kinda surprised myself when I first became a dad. For the first week of Ava's life, I changed every one of her diapers, while Mommy was resting from surgery. Baptism by fire, I guess.

But it's been all good since then. I don't mind it when Ava has an accident while sleeping, I don't mind it when Ezra goes pee-pee all over my hands and himself while I change him. As far as I'm concerned it's all a part of being a parent. If you don't like it then tough patooties.

I don't know what to expect for tomorrow. I've got so much to do for work (I even brought some home to work on during the weekend) but if Andrea and Ava are still ill, I'm not sure how I'm going to maintain a balance between it all.

Happy 2006, huh?

UPDATE: Super Dad is no more. I got the bug in the middle of the night last night. Spending all day today trying to recover. Ugh!

I understand my friend. I hate it hate it hate it when my little baby girl is sick - hate it hate it hate it when my lovely wife is under the weather ...but the strength that seems to ooze out of them and leave them helpless and in need of much attention somehow, miraculously, eeks into me, and give me the strenght, the wherewithall, the reserves to stand, to help, to aid, to comfort, to hold, to clean up after, to hold again, etc.Love indeed conquers all.